Press Releases
Pai Gow Poker Jackpot of nearly $220,000 won at the Plaza Hotel & Casino Same day, slot machine hits for $45,000
On May 20, a Las Vegas local won nearly $220,000 playing Pai Gow poker at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas.
His original buy in was $200, and he hit a 7-card straight flush for a total progressive hit of more than $206,000 plus a Fortune Bonus bet for another $12,500. After his exciting win, the jackpot was reset back to the $10,000 reseed amount.
That same day, a player who bet $2.25 on a buffalo slot machine won a $45,000 progressive jackpot. The lucky winner was visiting from California to attend the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC).
FBM
FBM® adds a new hero to its slots collection with Hippo’s Lock™ launch in Mexico

Time to power up your spins and collect big wins with Hippo’s Lock in Mexico. The new slot adventure launched by FBM® has Super Hippo as a hero, delivering entertaining gaming sessions with the Lock Feature, the Power Spins and Extra Spins accumulators. The game is available to play on the Auria, Galaxy II and Shadow III casino cabinets and is set for a fast expansion in the Mexican gaming market.
Hippo’s Lock is the latest slot title developed by FBM and brings a new theme with a charismatic hero, equipped with gadgets and special powers which will attract and engage slot players in Mexico.
The 30-lines game works with 15 independent reels, and the main action happens around the central position with Super Hippo’s intervention. The purple hippo guides the game narrative, taking players on an exciting gaming journey with non-stop action, suspense, and compelling animations.
The “X” effect of Power Spins joins the lucrative Extra Spins
Every time Super Hippo lands on the central reel, he bites the lock symbols and creates the chance to open the bonus mode with Power Spins, Extra Spins or the two accumulators combined.
When the Hippo’s Lock bonus starts with one accumulator, players guarantee five free spins. This number increases to ten free rounds if Super Hippo triggers Power Spins and Extra Spins at the same time. Each one of the accumulators has a special power:
- Extra Spins – Super Hippo uses its backpack to shoot lasers, increasing the number of free spins displayed in the counter.
- Power Spins – Super Hippo multiplies all coins, bags, Mini and Minor jackpots by 2, 3 or 5, leading players to a significant prize.
Super Hippo remains in the central position during all bonus rounds, and the special powers of the accumulators activated may repeat several times until the bonus rounds are over.
A kit of jackpots and gadgets to achieve big wins!
The bonus ignited by the Lock feature concentrates Super Hippo’s main powers. However, the game character has more tricks and resources to captivate and involve players:
- Jackpots – Hippo’s Lock offers access to four jackpot levels – Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand – through the vault symbol, which may appear on the reels during the main game or bonus rounds.
- Rewind – What if a gadget could change the symbols on the reels and lead players to bigger wins? That is the magic of the Rewind Feature activated by Super Hippo using its bracelet.
- Luck Has Arrived – Super Hippo announces a special flight on the screen with a message and takes off anticipating a lucrative game round for the player.
A slot game compatible with several casino cabinets and layouts!
Hippo’s Lock combines a fascinating game mechanic with an appealing feature set exhibited by an intriguing character through cutting-edge graphics, animations, and sound effects. This blend captures the interest of first-time players, delivering enjoyable gaming sessions that encourage them to return for more.
Hippo’s Lock reinforces the Lock product line FBM debuted this year with the Croc’s Lock theme launch. This new game title introduces a new hero, a new accumulator, and new thrills to the gaming sessions delivered by the global gaming brand’s slots portfolio.
Available on the Galaxy II, Auria and Shadow III casino cabinets, Hippo’s Lock starts its expansion journey in Mexico and intends to surpass the high expectations of local slot fans with long-lasting gaming sessions filled with prizes and adrenaline. The following plans include a global expansion having the US as the next showcase market for this FBM casino game.
The post FBM® adds a new hero to its slots collection with Hippo’s Lock™ launch in Mexico appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Latest News
GR8 Tech’s Bet It Drives Wraps Season 1 with Stephen Crystal—From Las Vegas Legends to Global Gaming Leadership

GR8 Tech’s drive-time podcast Bet It Drives closes out its debut season in the fast lane with Stephen Crystal, Founder of SCCG Management and a 30+ year veteran of the gaming world. From reshaping tribal and riverboat gaming to owning iconic Las Vegas casinos and driving more than $3 billion in finance, M&A, and technology projects, Stephen has spent his career at the center of the industry’s biggest moves.
In the passenger seat with host Yevhen Krazhan, GR8 Tech’s CSO, Stephen takes listeners from the glitter of Vegas to the global stage—where he has advised 120+ client-partners across 100 countries, built US operations for the UK’s largest bookmaker, and cut high-profile sports betting deals with teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Vegas Golden Knights.
On this ride, Stephen opens up about:
- Whether industry events really bring the business
- Why he believes in connecting people to people above everything else
- How he’d reshape iGaming conferences (hint: more case studies, less fluff)
- The single-sentence keynote he’d deliver if given the mic
- The people and principles that shaped his journey
- The art of closing deals and the mindset behind his business approach
- Which song he cues up when it’s deal-done time
- His take on when it’s “network” and when it’s definitely “not work”
“Stephen brought the kind of wisdom you only get from decades at the very top of gaming and a career spent building, betting, and believing in people,” said Krazhan. “It was a very inspirational, motivational talk—and Stephen officially earned a Bet It Drives seatbelt of honor.”
As always, Bet It Drives trades the studio for the streets of London, filming each episode entirely on the move with a multi-camera crew capturing both the ride and the real talk. The result is a podcast that has blended insider insights with unscripted, human moments all season long—from Alex Pratt and Helen Walton to Rohini Sardana, and now Stephen Crystal in the finale.
Watch Episode 4 with Stephen Crystal now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
That’s a wrap for Season 1. But don’t unbuckle just yet—Bet It Drives will be back soon. Follow GR8 Tech and stay tuned: Season 2 is already on the horizon, promising more bold voices, more candid conversations, and more reasons to hit play.
The post GR8 Tech’s Bet It Drives Wraps Season 1 with Stephen Crystal—From Las Vegas Legends to Global Gaming Leadership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
SOFTSWISS Compliance Expert Shares Knowledge on AML in iGaming for Sumsub Academy

SOFTSWISS, a global tech provider with over 15 years of iGaming expertise, announces that its Head of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) team, Eleni Panagiotopoulou, has been invited to deliver a lecture for AML Fundamentals, the newly launched training programme by Sumsub Academy. The course, which goes live on 15 September 2025, offers free online access to compliance professionals worldwide.
AML has become one of the most pressing topics for a wide range of highly regulated sectors. Regulators are intensifying oversight, and companies face increasing responsibilities to safeguard their operations and the wider financial system. Against this backdrop, Eleni’s participation underscores both SOFTSWISS’s expertise in compliance and its commitment to supporting the iGaming industry.
Drawing on her experience across operators, regulators, and compliance leadership roles, Eleni participates in the iGaming-focused module of the six-part course. Her sessions explore how money laundering risks manifest in casinos, betting platforms, lotteries, and online gaming environments, and how operators can strengthen their frameworks to meet evolving regulatory expectations.
Speaking ahead of the course launch, Eleni Panagiotopoulou said: “iGaming is one of the fastest-paced and high-risk sectors when it comes to financial crime. In countries where gaming is a cornerstone of the economy, AML compliance isn’t just a regulatory requirement; it’s a business imperative. Through this course, I look forward to sharing practical, industry-specific insights that compliance teams can put into action straight away.”
Natalie Buraimoh, Head of AML Product at Sumsub, added: “We’re pleased to be working with leading partners like SOFTSWISS to bring additional iGaming expertise into this course, helping professionals address some of the sector’s most complex AML challenges. After ten years of helping businesses navigate compliance, we know how quickly AML requirements evolve, and our aim is to deliver accessible training that professionals at every level can apply in their daily work.”
The Sumsub Academy AML Fundamentals course brings together leading experts from across the financial crime prevention space, including specialists in fintech, payments, and crypto. Participants who complete the programme will receive a shareable AML certificate.
For SOFTSWISS, this appointment highlights the company’s growing influence in global compliance conversations, while reinforcing its deep roots in Malta’s iGaming ecosystem.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 35,000 casino games, Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Platform, and the Jackpot Aggregator. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
The post SOFTSWISS Compliance Expert Shares Knowledge on AML in iGaming for Sumsub Academy appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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